Words » In Tune
Fear and loathing in the auditorium
The call came in from a nervous sounding lady named Ms. Huang. She wanted me to perform in the auditorium at a prestigious university. It wasn't my typical performance situation. I would be all alone. Without a band. Not even my instrument. She wanted me to speak in front of a group of college students about music. I eagerly agreed, anxious to see what Taiwan music students were like. I was always performing for them at concerts, on stage, on TV. This time, I would really be interacting with them, hearing their ideas, providing advice. I would actually be involved however minutely in their musical education.
I reflected on my good old college days, my own teachers, and what kind of presentation not to make. I didn't want to be a tweed jacket professor type, nor did I want to come off as a hippie musician. I decided on a controlled, slightly informal, and at all costs, personable presentation. The students should feel comfortable with this mixture. An easy hour and a half away from the stress of the typical Taiwan student's hectic book worming. A relaxing discussion about what music meant to them.
I figured it would be simple enough. It was a music class. All the students were music majors. I was a musician. It should be a breeze. I'd done similiar things before. Several colleges, a few official gatherings, various clubs and associations, even once for the Taiwan Tourism Bureau. But this was my first big music lecture. So I assembled a dozen different CDs, jotted some notes, and prepared for my lecture. "What is music?"
I arrived early and shook hands with department heads, was given a cup of tea, and shown to my class. There were about two hundred in all, mostly young women, who were chattering away loudly as I was introduced. "Today's guest lecturerer on music will be Mr. Gao Pei Hua. Many of you probably already know him." The class got very quiet, and there were a few giggles. "Good morning everyone, " I said in a cheerful voice. "Let's talk about music. I'm sure all of you have some idea of what music means to you. Everytime that you practice the piano or play the violin, I'm sure you must ask yourself, 'What am I doing? What is music?'" I looked at my group, wondering if I was getting through. "So tell me, what is music?" Silence. The clock ticked away. I waited for what seemed an eternity, trying to read something into the two hundred blank faces staring back at me. They must be shy, I thought. I spotted an outgoing looking young woman, and asked her in a personable, controlled, yet slightly informal tone, "Tell me, what does music mean to you?" She pointed to herself, turned beet red, and started to squirm. Finally she choked out in a dying breath, "I don't know."
So much for outgoing. I went around the class, asking all the students what music meant to them, hoping for an answer that could spark a discussion on the glorious merits of being a musician. I expected to hear things like: Music is joy, emotion, creation, passion, freedom, fun, thrilling. But all I got was a blank dull stare. I was speaking but words were not coming out of my mouth. I was suffocating, drowning. I knew that any moment the floor would open and swallow me into oblivion. Finally out of desparation, I rephrased the question to get a more direct response. "Why are you all here today?" I asked. Several students raised their hands. I had finally got across! "Because we have to!" they said.
My short foray into music education brought to mind something which happened a few months ago at the Golden Song Awards. The Awards are sort of like the Taiwan Grammy Awards. It is a time when the music industry honors it's best. Award after award were given out, but what really struck me was what Taiwan's most famous composer, Lee Tai-Shan, said as he accepted his lifetime achievement award. "I never dared to say this before," he started, "But I'll say it now since I have this recognition. Before the government says they will make improvements in other areas, they should first make improvements in arts and music education. Only when people can truly appreciate culture and music, will they have the ability to really compete. If people don't have quality, they can never improve themselves." There was a brief silence, then suddenly the entire audience stood up and gave Lee a ten minute standing ovation.
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I've never figured out whether it's pronounced "Moe's (like owned by one of three stooges) or Moss (like that guy out of Bonanza), but the one down the hill from me is open until 2am most days, which means that if I get out of the club early enough, I can catch the best burger in town, the muo si la bao or the Spicy Mos Burger. They have lots of jalapenos and 
